Fact Sheet

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Afghan Government Commitments to Women

BONN AGREEMENT [view full text ]

Signed on 5 December, 2001

The Bonn Agreement is the outcome of an agreement between prominent Afghan men and women under the supervision of the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Afghanistan. The agreement provides a framework for the establishment of a permanent government of Afghanistan. As a result of the Agreement, the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) was formed, which, following the Transitional Authority, led to elections in 2004.

The participants in the UN Talks on Afghanistan committed to:

a broad-based, gender-sensitive, multi-ethnic and fully representative government

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AFGHANISTAN COMPACT: Building on Success: The London Conference on Afghanistan [view full text ]

Signed on 31 January - 1 February, 2006

The Afghanistan Compact is the outcome of the London Conference on Afghanistan which took place in 2006. As a result of consultations between the government of Afghanistan, the United Nations and the international community, the compact is a framework for cooperation over five years in order to reach a shared goal of Afghanistan's future.

Principles of Cooperation:

As the Afghan Government and the international community embark on the implementation of this Compact, they will:

Build lasting Afghan capacity and effective state and civil society institutions, with particular emphasis on building up human capacities of men and women alike.

Recognize in all policies and programmes that men and women have equal rights and responsibilities.

Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights

On gender:

By end-2010: the National Action Plan for Women in Afghanistan will be fully implemented; and, in line with Afghanistan’s MDGs, female participation in all Afghan governance institutions, including elected and appointed bodies and the civil service, will be strengthened.

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MILLENIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS [view all Afghanistan MDGs ]

Afghanistan became the 191st signatory to the Millennium Declaration in 2004.

The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan presented a country report on the Millennium Development Goals at the UN World Summit in 2005.

In September 2000, building upon a decade of major United Nations conferences and summits, world leaders came together at United Nations Headquarters in New York to adopt the United Nations Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of time-bound targets - with a deadline of 2015 - that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals.

Goals 2, 3, 4 and 5:

To achieve universal primary education ;
To promote gender equality and to empower women ;
To reduce child mortality;
To improve maternal health .

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PROTOCOL FOR THE ELIMINATION OF FORCED AND CHILD MARRIAGE

Signed on 24 November, 2005

Aiming at the elimination of child and forced marriage by 2008.

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CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN (CEDAW) [view full text ]

Ratified on 5 March, 2003

CEDAW was adopted in 1979 by the UN General Assembly, and is often described as an international bill of rights for women. Consisting of a preamble and 30 articles, it defines what constitutes discrimination against women and sets up an agenda for national action to end such discrimination.

The States Parties to the present Convention...

are convinced that the full and complete development of a country, the welfare of the world and the cause of peace require the maximum participation of women on equal terms with men in all fields.

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CONSTITUTION OF AFGHANISTAN [view full text ]

Approved on 4 January, 2004

The Constitution of Afghanistan was drafted by the Afghan Constitution Commission following the singing of the Bonn Agreement [see above] in 2001.

Articles 22, 44 and 54:

The citizens of Afghanistan – whether woman or man – have equal rights and duties before the law.

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INTERIM AFGHANISTAN NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY
(I-ANDS) [view the website ]

Launched on 31 January - 1 February, 2006

The Interim Afghanistan National Development Strategy (I-ANDS) was approved at the London Conference in January 2006 along with the Afghanistan Compact [see above]. The I-ANDS contains a total of 18 statements of commitment addressing gender equity.

Cross-cutting Issue no. 1: Gender Equity

The Government's goal is to eliminate discrimination against women, develop their human capital and promote their leadership in order to guarantee their full and equal participation in all aspects of life in Afghanistan.

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ELIMINATION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN (EVAW) COMMISSION

Created 9 July, 2003

The EVAW Commission is an inter-ministerial body whose goal is to identify, analyze and put efforts to eliminate violence against women at the forefront of government policy development. The Commission is mandated to supervise and coordinate action and policy on violence against women at the national level. Read more about the EVAW Commission »

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